Coraki woman wakes to find masked intruder's hands on her face

A masked intruder covered a sleeping woman's face with his hands before punching her several times on Thursday night in northern NSW, police say.

The 58-year-old woman woke in her bedroom on Belmore Street in the town of Coraki, near Lismore, about 7:30pm to find the man's hands on her.

The pair had a brief conversation before she bit his hand and tried to fight him off. The man punched her several times in the head and back before fleeing.

Police arrived to discover the woman's car had been broken into. Cash and personal items had been stolen.

Inspector Doug Conners of the Richmond Local Area Command said the man was wearing a red scarf and was not known to the woman.

The woman sustained minor injuries and did not seek medical attention.

Police said they were looking for a man of Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander appearance, with dark wavy hair, a thin build and about 155-160cm tall, wearing black three-quarter length track pants and no shoes.